Flushing mechanism for commodes

ABSTRACT

A LOW COST PRESSURE FLUSHING MECHANISM FOR COMMODES WHICH MAY BE USED AS AN INITIAL INSTALLATION OR REPLACEMENT UNIT IN EXISTING TANKS. THE MECHANISM MAY ALSO BE HOUSED WITHIN A WALL TO SUPPLY ONE OR MORE WALL MOUNTED COMMODE UNITS. THE MAXIMUM EFFECT OF CITY WATER MAIN PRESSURE IS UTILIZED THROUGH THE PROVISION IN THE MECHANISM OF A COLLAPSIBLE AND EXPANSIBLE BLADDER WHICH FACILITATES THE ENTRY OF WATER INTO THE TANK UP TO A DESIRED LEVEL.

Jan. 12, 1971 w. K. OWENS 3,553,739

FLUSHING MECHANISM FOR COMMODES Filed May 15, 1968 United States PatentO Filed May 15, 1968, Ser. No. 729,320 Int. Cl. E03d 3/00 US. Cl. 4-26Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A low cost pressure flushing mechanismfor commodes which may be used as an initial installation or replacementunit in existing tanks. The mechanism may also be housed within a wallto supply one or more wall mounted commode units. The maximum effect ofcity water main pressure is utilized through the provision in themechanism of a collapsible and expansible bladder which facilitates theentry of water into the tank up to a desired level.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is a definite need for an inexpensivelong-lasting pressure flushing mechanism for commodes which will notinvolve the use of expensive valves and water supply pipes of increaseddiameter above the conventional pipe sizes commonly used in homes. Theordinary gravity flushing system most commonly used are not adequate andare very wasteful of water and permit the easy stopping of commode trapsbecause of insufficient flushing water pressure. These conventionalsystems are relatively inexpensive but inadequate and it is Well knownthat they require frequent repair.

High pressure flushing systems commonly found in office buildings andthe like are much more eflicient but require the installation of pipesup to one inch in diameter and do not economize on water consumptionbut, on the contrary, are quite wasteful. Additionally, these pressuresystems involve the use of expensive types of valves which requirerather frequent servicing.

The invention fills in the need in the art for a simplified economicalmechanism suitable for home use or in commercial buildings to providethe benefits of pressure flushing with the added features of economy,savings of water, and durability. The principal parts are all formed ofplastic and therefore are not subject to corrosion and the mechanism issubject to very little wear. The one element which is most subject towear is formed so as to be readily replaceable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The pressure flushing mechanism of theinvention comprises a closed tank having a Water inlet and a flushingoutlet. A fixed tube Within the tank is suspended from the top wallthereof and is in alignment with the flushing outlet. This tube isvented to atmosphere. It is surrounded by a closed collapsible andexpansible fluid tight bladder and ports are provided placing theinterior of the bladder in communication with the bore of the tube. Aball valve having a connection with the bottom of the tube is flexed foropening and seating with respect to a seat surrounding the flushingoutlet and an actuator for this ball valve is slidably mounted withinthe fixed tube and has an operating extension outside of the tank forconnection with a lever means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe invention with the tank shown in cross section.

' Ice FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary central vertical section throughthe flushing mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a similar section showing the mechanism in a flushingcondition, FIG. 2 showing the mechanism in a tank filling condition.

FIG. 4 is a transverse horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a similar section on an enlarged scale taken on line 55 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a modification of airpressure relief means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings indetail, wherein like numerals designate like parts, the numeral 10designates a preferably plastic material tank which may be rectangularor any other desired shape. The tank 10 is provided preferably in itsbottom wall 11 with a Water inlet fitting 12 and spaced from this inletfitting at substantially the center of the tank is a flushing outletopening 13 formed to provide a beveled annular valve seat 14. A suitableoutlet pipe 15 is secured as at 16 to the tank bottom wall to receivethe flushing water and directing this water to the commode or the like.

The tank top wall 17 has a central enlarged boss 18 through which anopening 19 is formed in alignment with the outlet opening 13 therebelow.A closure plate 20 preferably formed of plastic is seated upon the topwall 17 surrounding the opening 12 and an O-ring fluid seal 21 isutilized to seal the connection. Suitable fasteners 22 are used tosecure the closure plate 20 to the tank.

Formed integral with the closure plate 20 and depending therefrom inconcentric relationship to the outlet opening 13 is a tube 23 whoselower end terminates somewhat above the flushing opening 13. The bore ofthe tube 23 opens to atmosphere at the center of the plate 20 and thetube has air vent ports 24 near and below the top wall of the tank for apurpose to be further described.

Surrounding the rigid tube 23 is a flexible rubber-like bladder orreceptacle 25 which is readily collapsible and inflatable to thepositions of FIGS. 3 and 2, as will be further described. The upper neck26 of the bladder has snugfluid tight engagement with the tube 2.3 abovethe ports 24 and a lower inverted tubular neck 27 at the bottom of thebladder has similar fluid tight engagement with the tube near and aboveits lower end. Therefore, the interior chamber 28 of the bladder isclosed except that this chamber communicates with the outside atmospherethrough the ports 24 and the bore of tube 23.

A flexible rubber-like ball valve, elastic valve-element or flushingvalve 29 is provided for seating against the seat 14 as shown in FIG. 2and for opening the flushing outlet 13 when stretched and elevated fromthe seat as shown in FIG. 3. The ball valve 29 has a top opening whichis stretched snugly around the lower end of the tube 23 and engageswithin an annular groove 30 formed in the tube. The ball valve has alarge bottom opening 31 which renders it highly flexible and readilydeformable.

A ring actuator 32 formed of plastic is contained within the flexibleball valve 29 and is carried on a V-shaped cross member 33 formedintegral with a vertical elongated stem 34 which extends upwardlythrough the tube 23 to a point above the closure plate 20. The stem 34is slender and much smaller than the bore of the tube 23 and is disposedconcentrically therein. Throughout a major portion of the length of thetube 23, the stem 34 has right angular guide fins 35 formed thereon tocenter the stem 34 slidably within the bore of tube 23. The upper end ofthe stem 34 has an eye 36 thereon for connection with a suitableoperating lever 37 pivoted to the top wall of the tank at 3-8 and havinga handle extension 39.

OPERATION The flushing mechanism operates in the following manner. Whenthe flushing cycle is completed and the ball valve 29 has reseateditself automatically in FIG. 2, the water entering the bottom of thetank 10 through the fitting 12 will begin to rise in the tank asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 2. This water is under full city watermain pressure, commonly about 60 psi. Since the tank 10 is nowcompletely closed in a fluid tight manner, the rising water will beginto gradually compress air in the top of the tank up to a maximumpressure equaling the incoming water pressure. To allow for this, theinflated bladder 25 in FIG. 2 begins slowly collapsing under theexternal pressure surrounding it and the interior of the bladder isvented through the ports 24 to atmosphere as described so that the airwithin it will be exhausted to atmosphere through these ports as shownby the arrows in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the bladder 25 slightly collapsedfrom its fully expanded condition at 25' before any water begins to risein the tank.

As the water rises to its maximum level L as shown in the drawings, thebladder 25 will gradually collapse around the tube 23 to an ultimateposition like that shown in FIG. 3, where the ball valve 29 has justbeen unseated to start the flushing cycle. For a tank having a capacityof 2 /2 gallons, the bladder 25 will have a capacity of approximately 2quarts.

When the ball valve 29 is unseated, FIG. 3, the water contained withinthe tank 10 under full city water main pressure will discharge quicklythrough the flushing opening 13 and in so doing air will be drawnthrough the bore of the open tube 23 in a Venturi operation to assistthe flushing cycle and to aerate the water. Air at this time will alsoenter the bladder 25 to re-expand the same as the Water level in thetank gradually diminishes. When the tank is substantially empty, theball valve will reseat itself and the filling cycle will again commence.

The ball valve element 29 is readily removable from the tube 23 whenreplacement is desired and this is substan tially the only part of themechanism subject to any appreciable wear. All of the parts are formedof plastic or rubber-like materials to resist corrosion, as stated.

The mechanism including the tank 10 may in some cases be installedinside of an existing conventional toilet flush tank to convert the sameto pressure flushing equipment. Also, the invention may be installed asoriginal equipment on a commode and one of its advantages is that itrequires considerably less space than conventional flush tanks and issubstantially sealed. The size of the tank renders it practical toenclose the same within a wall for servicing wall mounted commodes orfixtures on one or both sides of the wall. While disclosed as a tank inthe drawings, the tank 10 could be constituted by a large section ofpiping in some instances. The various features and advantages of theinvention should be apparent to those skilled in the art without thenecessity for further description herein.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a modification of the means torelieve the pressure of compressed air in the top of the tank 10' as thewater level rises therein. This pressure relief means serves the samepurpose as the bladder 25 in permitting the water to rise to a requiredlevel in the tank, notwithstanding the fact that air is being trappedand compressed in the tank.

Referring to FIG. 6, a fixed tube 23", substantially identical with thetube 23, depends from the plate or cap and receives the stem- 34 for thesame purpose described in the prior embodiment. In lieu of thecollapsible bladder 25, and the ports 24, the fixed tube 23" has asingle opening 24' near the top wall 17 of the tank and an L- shapedtubular fitting 41 is securely anchored within the opening 24' andprovides a downwardly facing valve seat 45 for a floatable ball valveelement 42 held captive on the fitting 41 by a flexible element 43 andanchor element 44, the entire modified air pressure relief unit beingdesignated by the numeral 40 in FIG. 6.

When the water level in the tank 10 is down, as in FIG. 2, the ballvalve 42 will hang free of the seat 45 and as the water level rises inthe tank, trapped air may escape through the fitting 41 and the tube 23to atmosphere. However, when the water level rises sufliciently to floatthe ball valve 42, the same will engage the seat 45 and close the airescape passage through the fitting 41 and the air will then becompressed near the top of the tank until this compressioncounterbalances the incoming water pressure and preconditions the tankfor a pressure flush when the stem 34 is lifted by lever 37. Thus, theunit 40 in FIG. 6 serves exactly the same purpose in the invention asthe collapsible bladder arrangement previously described and has theadvantgae of being somewhat less expensive.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shownand described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scopeof the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A commode flushing apparatus comprising a tank having a water inletopening and a bottom flushing outlet forrning a flush valve seat, saidtank having a top wall opening above and in alignment with said flushingoutlet, an open-ended tube disposed vertically within said tank with itslower end terminating near and above said flushing outlet and coaxialtherewith, the upper end of the tube disposed within said tank top wallopening, a closure plate integral with said tube at the upper endthereof and resting upon the tank top wall in covering relation to saidtop wall opening and sealing the opening and bodily supporting said tubefixedly, said tube having an air vent port formed through the side wallthereof near and below the tank top wall, an expansible and collapsibleflexible bladder surrounding said tube and having snug fluid-tightengagement with the tube near said top and bottom ends of said tube anddefining an interior chamber communicating with the bore of said tubethrough said vent port, an elongated stern extending through the bore ofsaid tube and free to reciprocate therein, fin elements on said stemhaving guided contact with the bore of said tube, manual means connectedwith said stem exteriorly of said tube and tank to elevate said stem,and an elastic flush valve element anchored to the exterior of said tubenear the lower end of said tube and adapted when relaxed to engage theflush valve seat sealingly and having a connection with said stemwhereby elevation of said stem will stretch the elastic valve elementand elevate the same from the flush valve seat.

2. The structure as defined by claim 1, and an enlarged annular head onthe lower end of said stern engaged within the elastic valve element,said valve element being hollow.

3. The structure as defined by claim 2, and said elastic valve elementbeing a thin-walled element larger in diameter than said tube and havinga neck opening surrounding the lower end of said tube and anchoredwithin a groove formed in the exterior of said tube, said annular headengaging the interior surface of the elastic valve element radiallyoutwardly of said tube, whereby elevation of said stem stretches thesurrounding portion of the elastic valve element upwardly above thebottom end of said tube.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1, and an annular compressible sealdisposed between the tank top wall and said closure plate to seal saidtop Wall opening.

5. The structure as defined by claim 1, and said fin elements on saidstem being formed integrally therewith in circumferentially spacedrelationship and defining References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,5626/1887 Wilson 461 769,525 9/ 1904 Adams 426 787,833 4/1905 Crary 431 101,245,738 11/1917 Koenig 426 1,318,518 10/1919 Werner .e 426 6 2/1923Benedict 465 12/1962 Dietz et a1. 478

FOREIGN PATENTS 1/1901 Great Britain 442 4/ 1921 Great Britain 4425/1933 Great Britain 4-31 5/1923 France 4--28 9/1946 France 431 LAVERN'ED. GEIGER, Primary Examiner D. B. MASSENBERG. Assistant Examiner

